The Half Blood Princess
by kissables333
Summary: Adelia's actions were always affected by the people in her life. Whether it was her parents, her brother, or the boy, she always had someone else to blame for her mistakes. But in the end, the only person she had left to blame was herself.
1. Chapter 1

so new story...not sure where its going...Its short, I know. That's because its just an intro.

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_People have a way of changing your life. Their attitudes, positive and negative, can change your actions and attitude._

_She inherited her brother's hatred, although it wasn't exactly undeserved._

_Life is too uncertain. There are too many paths. Too many choices. Too many 'what if's.'_

_What if…he never hated her because of her brother?_

_Would they have meet? Would he have paid her any attention? Would he have loved her?_

_What if...he hadn't pranked her that first time?_

_Would she have met Regulus? Would she have been sorted in the same way?_

_What if...she hadn't been a Slytherin?_

_But eventually, there is no more time for second guessing. Eventually, your choices led you down a path from which you couldn't return._

_She'd reached the end of her path._

_And as the dark, hooded creature loomed ever closer to her, as cold surrounded her, as she slowly lost every happy memory, she knew that this was her path because she'd chosen it. From that first meeting, she'd already begun her way to this very moment._

She had heard of him and his friends from the numerous, ranting letters her brother had sent her during the previous school year. It was finally her chance to get out of their home on Spinner's End and attend Hogwarts.

Adelia Snape had no idea what to expect when she got there. What she got, she never expected in her wildest dreams.

A few days before she was to start Hogwarts, her brother took her to Diagon Alley to get her school supplies. She soon lost her brother among the shelves of Flourish and Blotts and decided to get the rest of her supplies herself. She didn't want to distract her brother when he was clearly enjoying himself.

The streets of Diagon Alley were, unfortunately for Adelia, not smooth and paved. So of course she tripped over one of the uneven edges, spilling her books and quills every where.

The wizards and witches walked by the small, pale girl scurrying to pick up her books without a passing glance. And then suddenly, another pair of hands appeared, helping gather her supplies for her.

"Thank you," she said softly.

The wizard stood up and offered the girl his hand with a smile.

Adelia didn't know it then but this was the moment that would change her life. There were two paths here.

She could take his hand or she could simply ignore it and get up by herself.

At the time it was a simple choice, but soon it would become the catalyst to darker, more complex decisions.

Shakily, she took his outstretched hand and looked into the eyes of the Good Samaritan who had helped her.

"You're welcome," he replied with that smile still firmly on his face, "I didn't catch your name." His voice was smooth and sounded almost regal, as if he spent his time conversing with kings and queens.

"Adelia." She replied quietly. "And you are?-"

"Black! Get away from my sister!" The pair turned and instantly upon seeing her brother standing before them, the charming smile on the boy's face dropped and instead turned to a sinister snarl. The boy dropped her hand and scoffed.

"If I had known that _she_ was your sister," he sent her a look of disdain, "I wouldn't have wasted my time."

Severus reached forward and pulled his sister back, away from the boy, and pushed her behind him. He stood, blocking her from view, with his wand outstretched protectively.

"Sirius!" The boy turned at the call and nodded to the three boys that were standing further up the street.

"I'll see you at school _Snivellus_." The boy smiled, but there was only cruelty in his eyes. He peered around Severus to look at the girl, "You too, **Adelia**."

Sev didn't relax his stance until the boy was out of their sight. When he was, Sev whirled around to face her.

"Don't ever talk to him. Don't look at him. Once we get to Hogwarts, stay away from him," Sev said darkly.

"Who was he?"

"Sirius Black." Her brother spit venomously.

_She didn't know it then, but Sirius Black would change her life. For better or worse, that was for her to decide when the moment came._


	2. Chapter 2

[Chapter 2]

Adelia found herself in a compartment with her brother, their friend from home – Lily –, and the nervous butterflies in her stomach.

She was worried. What if she was sorted into the wrong House? What if she wasn't sorted into Slytherin, like Sev? Who would look out for her then?

Honestly, she didn't think she belonged in any of the Houses.

She wasn't brave like the Gryffindors.

She wasn't hard working like the Hufflepuffs.

She wasn't smart like the Ravenclaws.

She wasn't cunning like the Slytherins.

She didn't fit anywhere. Some days, she feared she would never fit in anywhere at all.

"Are you nervous, Leah?" Lily asked from where she sat across from Adelia.

The pale child nodded.

Lily smiled fondly and her green eyes sparked. "You'll be fine. I was nervous too."

"But at least you had Sev. I don't know anyone."

"You know me, and you know Sev." Lily smiled reassuringly. "You can always come to either of us."

Adelia nodded, but she wasn't convinced.

She spent most of the train ride staring out the window as Lily and Sev conversed quietly.

"Leah," Lily said, shaking the girl out of her reverie as she stood, "Come on. We should go change into our robes."

Adelia nodded and followed Lily out of the compartment with a soft goodbye to Sev.

When Adelia had finished changing, she found Lily outside the bathroom waiting for her, already sporting her robes and Gryffindor insignia.

Lily began leading the way back their compartment when a voice stopped Adelia.

"Well if it isn't _Adelia_…" The girl whipped around, only to see the same boy from that day at Diagon Alley, Sirius Black.

Remembering her brother's words, she said nothing and tried to walk away.

However, the boy quickly caught up with her short strides.

Lily would be no help to the girl as she continued on her path to their compartment, unaware that her younger friend had been stopped.

"That's not very nice _Adelia_," he admonished. "I'm just trying to be friendly."

Adelia rolled her eyes. She said quietly, "You're just talking to me to annoy my brother."

"And what makes you think that?" He said as he quickly jumped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Sev hates you." Adelia said, as she tried to brush past him on the left.

Sirius smiled as he merely blocked her way again and took a step closer to her. Adelia took a step back in response.

"A-and," she stuttered as he got closer and closer to her. "You hate him."

"Oh?" Sirius said with a smirk upon his face. Adelia was uncomfortable with how close the boy was and Sirius was well aware of that fact.

"You know he doesn't want me talking to you?"

"And do you do everything that your brother tells you to do?" Sirius smirked.

"N-no!" She protested, but was only annoyed with herself as she couldn't stop herself from stuttering.

Sirius took another step toward her. Adelia took a larger step back and her back crashed into the wall.

The boy smirked as Adelia's eyes widened.

Sirius placed both of his hands on either side of her head, trapping her in place.

"_Adelia_-"

"Stop saying my name like that!" She snapped.

And for the first time since he discovered her surname, he smiled.

Adelia found that it wasn't too terrible a sight.

"Black!" But despite his name being called, Sirius did not move. He simply remained in close proximity to the girl and stared her down.

However, he was quickly shoved away from her.

"Sod off, Sirius." Lily threw over her shoulder as she grabbed her young companion's hand and pulled her down the train's corridor.

"Sorry Leah." Lily said apologetically. "I didn't realize until I got back to the compartment that you weren't with me. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she shrugged.

"Sirius can be an arrogant toe rag when he wants but he's usually not that bad unless he's with Potter."

"Potter?" The girl asked as she followed Lily into the compartment and sat down. The name sounded familiar to her, probably from one of Sev's letters.

"Potter," Sev spat his name upon hearing their conversation, "is an arrogant arse who-"

"Try not to get too worked up, Sev." Lily said with a small smile as she placed a hand on his arm to soothe him.

As Lily turned her gaze to the window, Adelia noted with a small smile that her brother was blushing.

Soon the train pulled into Hogsmeade station and the students filed off the train.

"First yers! First yers! Ov'r here!" Adelia's eyes snapped to a large man standing on the platform.

"That's Hagrid, Delia." Sev said, standing at his side. "He's the groundskeeper. You go with him in boats across the lake to get to Hogwarts."

"L-lake?" She asked with the worry clearly evident in her tone.

"You'll be fine, Leah." Lily said, trying to assure her. "You're safe with Hagrid."

"Go, Delia." Sev pushed her lightly toward the giant man.

The butterflies kept batting furiously in her stomach as she watched Sev and Lily walk away.

Adelia stood awkwardly with the other first years until everyone had gathered.

Hagrid then lead them to the edge of the lake where small wooden boats were waiting.

"Four to a boat!" Hagrid called out. "Four in each one!"

Glancing nervously as she clambered into a boat closest to the side of lake, she waited shakily for everyone else to be loaded in.

Hagrid garnered a boat for himself what with his rather large girth and all.

They were halfway across the lake when it happened.

A green light shot out from the darkness surrounding them and shook her boat.

Because she unable to stop herself from losing her balance, and her boat mates were unable stop her from falling, she tumbled over the side of the boat and into the Black Lake pulled.

Adelia was immediately submerged under the water. She tried to tread water to push her head above the water but it wasn't working.

For a moment, she was above water before she slipped back under and darkness surrounded her.

Adelia was panicking. She'd never learned to swim. She was going to drown. This was it. She'd never be sorted. She'd never-

She felt suddenly something gain a tight grasp on her wrist. She thrashed and tried to struggle only to realize that the hand was not coming from the water to pull her down, but rather from above the surface, trying to pull her up.

Adelia stopped struggling and allowed herself to be pulled out of the water and onto a boat.

"Are you alright?"

The boy before he was an almost copy of Sirius Black himself.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked again as he placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her shaking.

She couldn't bring herself to say anything. She was _so_ cold.

"Here," the boy said as he shrugged off his robe. It was like he read her thoughts, or perhaps he just saw her shivering.

"T-th-thanks-s." She managed to stutter out.

The boy smiled at her. "What a way to start the year," he chuckled. And despite her frozen state, she managed to throw him a small smile.

Once they got off the boats, Hagrid hurried to make sure that she was alright.

The prognosis was that she was fine, just shaken up a bit, as well as a tad frozen.

The boy stayed by her side as the group of first years entered the castle and stood in front of the doors to the Great Hall.

The group of eleven year olds, Adelia and the boy included, stood huddled together nervously as a Professor McGonagall, stood before them and gave them an introductory speech. Adelia barely heard it as she was busy stealing glances at the strange boy next to him.

McGonagall soon left the group to talk amongst themselves as she stepped into the Great Hall.

"I'm Regulus." He said turning to her.

"Regulus Black, right?" She asked softly.

"Yes," he said with a furrowed brow. "How did you-"

"I've met your brother." She muttered unhappily.

"I see." He mused. "Well-"

"Did you enjoy your swim, _Adelia_?" Both Adelia and Regulus' eyes snapped to him.

"You could've killed her, Sirius." Regulus replied icily.

Sirius' eyes flickered to her for only a moment. "Caring about someone, Mum and Dad would be _so_ disappointed," he mocked.

"Sirius, come on." A pale, brown-haired boy appeared behind Sirius. "We should go in before the sorting starts.

Sirius nodded at his friend before turning back to us. "Goodbye, _Adelia_."

"I hate the way he says my name." She muttered as they watched him walk through the doors to the Great Hall.

"Forget about him." Regulus shrugged. "It's what my parents do."

She turned to question him, but McGonagall appeared back before them and led them into the Great Hall for sorting.

Adelia stared wearily at the hat that had just finished singing. This was it. This was how she was to be sorted.

She watched with anticipation as Regulus walked up to the hat.

A moment later, the hat yelled out "SLYTHERIN!"

He seemed happy with it and Adelia could only wait until her name was called. It was times like this that she wished her name wasn't so far down in the alphabet.

Finally, her name was called.

Shakily, Adelia made her way, without tripping, up to the three-legged stool.

As she sat down, she caught her brother's gaze. He smiled, reassuringly at her.

Further up the table, Regulus sat watching her intently.

Her eyes searched the Great Hall for her other friend. Finally she found Lily sitting at a table of gold and red.

Lily too smiled at her.

But then, involuntarily, before the brim of the hat slipped over her eyes, her eyes sought out Sirius. When his gaze met hers, he only smirked and sent her a little wave.

Her blood boiled. She couldn't stand him! Why couldn't he leave her alone? Why did he have to be so annoying? She wished she could just-

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat yelled out a house before she had spent a few seconds with it on.

As she made her way to the Slytherin table, which erupted in cheers, she caught _his _eyes again. This time, there was no wave. No smirk. His face was blank.

They simply stared at one another until Regulus grabbed her attention.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter.

I like this one. Its one of my favorites of everything I'm posting today.

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[Chapter 3]

Hogwarts was amazing.

Granted, the amount of work and the number of essays she had to write wasn't amazing, but at Hogwarts, she finally felt like she belonged.

Among her Slytherin classmates, Adelia felt like she found her niche, she found people she could relate to, especially Regulus.

The boy who'd saved her quickly became her most trusted and valued companion, besides her brother and Lily.

But where there was Regulus, Sirius wasn't far from her mind.

The two boys looked so similar, it was impossible to not think of him when she saw Regulus.

Adelia passed the early months of her first year at Hogwarts in a sanctuary during classes and the time she spent in her common room.

But elsewhere, _he _seemed to be wherever she was; he was always prepared with an insult or a snide remark designed to destroy her mood.

She'd be walking to her next class with Regulus, and out of nowhere Sirius would appear. That now familiar smirk would be upon his face as he accosted her. After he dashed her hopes of not seeing him for at least an entire day and widdled away at her confidence, he left her with a satisfied smile upon his face.

Regulus told her to ignore him. Lily told her that he was no one she should concern herself with.

Sev told her…well he didn't tell her anything because Adelia didn't tell him about Sirius' antics. Sev had told her to stay away from the boy; and she did her part. She avoided him as much as possible. But he kept finding her. Adelia knew her brother would be mad if he found out what Sirius was doing. She didn't want him to interfere because she wanted to handle it herself. Maybe, although she didn't want to admit it, Adelia didn't tell Sev because she didn't want Sirius to be right. He asked if she always did everything that her brother told her to. And she did. Because he was her brother and he looked out for her. And even less then she wanted Sirius to be right, she knew that sometimes, just a little part of her wanted to see him, as perverse as it was to _want_ to see someone who tormented you.

And torment her, he did. Sirius seemed to easily find ways to get under her skin. He seemed to know exactly what to say to hurt her. He knew that she was sensitive about her fears so he kept bringing up how she almost drowned, with no obvious remorse at having caused the incident. One time after a class, during which they'd charmed spiders, she'd commented to a friend how much she detested spiders. The next day a bunch of hairy, spiders found their way into her bag. Adelia shrieked and threw her bag away from herself. Shaking from the incident, her eyes gazed shiftily around herself and they found Sirius laughing at her only a little way up the hallway.

By the time December came, Adelia was proud of herself for surviving Sirius' pranks. The school was mostly deserted then, as most of the students returned home for the winter holidays.

Lily had left, as had most of the Slytherins Adelia talked to. Sev had stayed, as did Adelia for they both found Hogwarts preferable to their home situation. Adelia knew, however, how desperately her brother missed Lily.

One particularly chilly morning found Adelia sitting outside beneath a snow covered tree as she stared off into the distance at the ice covered lake. The sound of crunching snow made her senses perk up, but she did not look at the intruder.

"Where's brother dearest?"

She knew the voice, and the snide tone, very well. Adelia did not need to turn to look at him to confirm what she knew. Sighing, Adelia leaned her head against the tree trunk and closed her eyes.

Adelia breathed in deeply, smelling the trees and the snow, even though snow doesn't have a smell. She was too comfortable to relinquish her spot to walk away from him and she was too peaceful (and timid) to fight with him.

"Library." She replied quietly, not wanting to disturb the nature surrounding them, as she grudgingly turned to face him.

When she made the decision to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays, she'd hoped that _he _would be gone as well. However, her hopes fell through the moment she saw him at dinner the first night of the holidays. Adelia knew Regulus had gone home and she couldn't comprehend why the elder Black hadn't as well. It certainly wasn't for the company of his friends, for they'd all returned home as well.

Turning her gaze upon him fully, she noted that a gentle snow fall was drifting down from the sky above them. The flakes fell into his hair, sprinkling the black mess of curls with white. Among the white winter abyss they were in, his grey eyes stood out brightly to her. Her eyes traveled down to the dark red and gold scarf wrapped around his neck. The image of her own green and silver scarf was clear in her mind. That was what stood behind them, keeping them separated at two opposite ends of the spectrum: four colors, one brother, and thousands of pretenses and precedents that decreed _how_ they should act.

He breathed out, a cloud of air dispersing into the air for them both to see. She was startled as he quietly sat down next her.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked her as he rubbed his hands together for the heat the friction would provide.

Adelia was confused, more than words could describe and more than her own thoughts could comprehend.

"I like snow?" She said; being as confused as she was, the response came out as a question.

Adelia watched in amazement as the corners of the boy's lips curled up into a small smile, one of three he'd ever given her. His eyes were gazing out at the lake, as just as hers had been moments ago.

"But it's so cold." He replied.

"I don't mind." She muttered, starting to feel ever so slightly more comfortable, however confused she still was.

He didn't respond and suddenly the quiet, which she'd found so peaceful before was daunting and awkward. She felt the need to fill the silence as if it was an obligation.

"Why didn't you go home for the holidays?"

"Why didn't you?" He replied.

Knowing he wouldn't answer, if she didn't first, she replied, "I f-find Hogwarts a more welcoming h-home. Now why didn't you? Regulus did."

Sirius scoffed lightly, "_Regulus_. The 'good son.'" Sirius said, making his voice go deeper, she assumed he was imitating his father. "I'm more of the…black sheep of my family."

"What do you mean?" She was looking at him now, even though his gaze was still on the lake. She wished he would look at her.

"Good old Regulus is exactly what my parents want from me. But being me, being a Gryffindor are only additions to the long list of disappointments that my parents have _endured_ because of me."

"What do they want from you?"

"Evans is a muggle-born."

"Yeah…" she said slowly, wondering where this was going.

"My parents wouldn't want me to associate with her. My parents wanted me to be a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor. My parents don't want me to talk to people like James."

"But Regulus hasn't ever said anything about-"

"I'd imagine he wouldn't. You're a friend of his. He knows you're close with Evans. He doesn't want to alienate you."

Unable to think of a response, she sat in silence, still confused as to why he wasn't insulting her in _some_ way.

Finally, he spoke with his gaze still upon the lake.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like that." The words tumbled from his lips and she did not understand. "With the lake…I just…I thought you knew how to swim. You were just supposed to fall into the lake and then…climb back out." He turned his grey eyes on her again and she felt paralyzed by their probing gaze. "You weren't supposed to almost drown." He turned his gaze away from her again. "You weren't supposed to meet Regulus," he muttered so quietly that she could barely hear him.

And that was it. Neither of them spoke. Together, they sat under the tree and watched the snow fall.

For the rest of the holiday break, Adelia only saw fleeting glimpses of Sirius, a great contrast from how often she usually saw him. She wondered if he would act any different toward her when the rest of the student population returned back from their holiday in a couple of days.

The next week, he dropped balloons full of green goo upon her in front of the entire Great Hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Realistically, don't expect updates until the summer. I have no time for anything.

Sirius acts very-bipolar in this, sorry about that.

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Her first year had flown by quickly. It was just after finals that she found herself sitting with Regulus under the same tree where she'd spoken to Sirius during the holiday break.

She couldn't forget what he had said to her that day. _"Good old Regulus is exactly what my parents want from me. But being me, being a Gryffindor are only additions to the long list of disappointments that my parents have __endured__ because of me."_

"Did you ever get along with him?" She had asked suddenly.

"Who?" He responded.

"Your brother." She muttered quietly.

"When we were younger," Regulus shrugged, "before I knew what he was like. Before I knew that he wasn't like us. When we were younger I looked up to him. When I did something wrong, he would take the blame and get punished for it. His loyalty always astounded me. But he failed our parents; he failed me. He doesn't think how he should. He doesn't care about blood. He doesn't see the importance." Regulus said with anger evident in his voice.

"Maybe he thought he was doing what was right." She muttered quietly as she leaned her head back against the rough bark of the tree.

Their first year was over. They had survived! Adelia was overjoyed! Her first year had gone better than she had expected. She made friends. She did well in her classes. The only downside the amount of torment she received from her best friend's brother.

She didn't understand Sirius. He had been so kind to her that day under the tree but then, once his friends returned, everything went back to normal. He tormented her more than his friends did; in fact his friends seemed to ignore her most of the time. It is her brother that _they _went fact. It seemed that Sirius was her own personal bully. But for the summer, it didn't matter. School was done for the year and she wouldn't have to see him for a few months. She was very pleased at the thought.

In a flurry of fellow students, Regulus and Adelia stayed together as they went through the barrier after getting off the train.

Despite her protests, Regulus dragged her over to where his parents were standing.

"Mother, father. I'd like you to meet Adelia Snape."

Adelia's stomach turned painfully as his parents looked at her. She could see the dislike in their eyes as clear as day. She nervously ran her fingers through her somewhat stringy hair. Noting Sirius standing nearby, she was somewhat glad to know she wasn't the only uncomfortable one. She smiled politely and answered the Blacks' probing questions all the while watching their eldest son out of the corner of her eye.

Sirius stood awkwardly with his parents, blatantly wishing to be elsewhere. She knew his parents must've made him leave his friends, no doubt people they didn't approve of.

Adelia had stopped paying attention to the conversation between Regulus and his parents. She was too busy watching Sirius.

"Can Adelia come over for dinner during the summer, Mother?" Her eyes, now open wide, snapped to Regulus. His mother assented, but it was clearly not something she wanted to do.

Honestly, Adelia wouldn't have minded if his mother had declined. She noted, out of the corner of her eye, that Sirius was now watching their exchange with a peculiar expression upon his face.

The date for their dinner arrived much sooner than Adelia liked. She was absolutely nervous. She knew she had to impress Regulus' parents.

She came from the hearth and crashed right into someone. Feeling terribly embarrassed, she hurried to get up as she was lying on top of whoever she'd run into. However, she was paralyzed when her eyes met his.

"Sorry." She muttered weakly.

"No problem." He replied stiffly.

She scurried to get up but tripped over her own feet in the process. His arms caught her before she fell to the floor again as he had managed to get up much more gracefully than she had.

"Thanks." She muttered, feeling even more horrified.

He said nothing and only moved to reach his hand out to wipe a bit of ash off her face. She felt goose bumps form where his fingers grazed her skin.

Uncomfortably, the pair stood in silence; Adelia shifted in her dress.

Sirius kept switching how he held himself: first with his hands in his pockets, then with his hands clasped behind his back, then with his arms crossed. He kept cycling through the positions all the while shifting his weight from one foot to the next.

"That's not yours, is it?" Sirius asked noticing her discomfort.

"It's a little big on me." She muttered in embarrassment that she couldn't afford her own dress. "I had to borrow it from Lily."

Sirius didn't meet her eyes as he stepped back and waved his wand over her dress. Instantly, it shrunk to fit her.

"Thank you." She said again.

"You look—"

"Adelia!" Regulus said, appearing in the room. "You look nice." He complimented as he pulled her into a hug.

Looking over Regulus' shoulder, she watched as the elder brother limped out of the room with his hands clenched.

Dinner was a stiff affair. Everyone in the Black family was dressed to impress while Adelia's dress made her uncomfortable.

Regulus sported a dark green dress shirt while Sirius was wearing a white dress shirt that was covered with a black sports jacket.

"We are quite proud of Regulus." Walburga said with a smile on her face. It seemed unnatural to Adelia. "He is an outstanding Slytherin—"

"Because cruelness is to be admired much more than courage." Sirius muttered sarcastically under his breath.

Walbura simply reached for her glass while glaring at her son.

"Sirius," she said with an airy tone, "has always been such a disappointment to us, Amy—"

"Her name is Adelia." Sirius interrupted but he was ignored.

"He is simply not as clever as our dear Regulus." She said with a smile at her younger smile. "Wouldn't you agree, Amy?"

She froze. That Sirius' mother would so openly bash him in front of company and then ask her to confirm was astounding. Adelia did not know what to say.

She left she had to agree to be in Walburga's good graces, but she knew that Sirius Black was anything but a disappointment. Granted, he did tend to be a bit bipolar in regards to her but his pranks were usually quite intelligent and thought out. She'd heard from Lily that Sirius could excel in class if he tried.

She tried to find an answer that would appease Walburga and not insult her tormentor at the same time, "I think—"

Suddenly, small house-elf appeared in the dinning room with a dinner platter. He hovered it to the table, bowed, and then returned to leave.

The creature was stoppe,d however, by Regulus.

"Kreacher," Regulus began gently, "you didn't greet our guest."

Kreacher turned to face his master. "Why would Kreacher? Mistress Walburga called her a filthy half-blood! Kreacher does not—"

"Kreacher!" Sirius yelled standing up forcefully with his wand pointed at the house elf. Sirius' movement caused the plates, silverware, and glasses to shake on the table.

"Sit down." Mrs. Black said coldly, as if her house elf hadn't just told Adelia what the Blacks really thought of her. A shiver went through Adelia and she could feel her face burning with embarrassment.

Sirius looked between Kreacher and his mother with his wand still outstretched. His eyes drifted from his mother to Kreacher to Adelia, sometimes staying too long on Adelia.

But finally the boy sat down slowly. Adelia knew he had decided to not test his mother; Adelia knew, judging by his limp, that it hadn't been the first time he had tried his mother's nerves today. The dinner commenced once again without a word about what had happened.

Finally, much to Adelia's happiness and comfort, the night was over. Regulus and Adelia were standing before the fireplace to say goodbye when Regulus was called out of the room by his mother for a moment.

Adelia closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to will herself not to cry from the night's events. She thought Regulus didn't care about blood, or at least that he didn't care about _hers_. But if his parents did, Adelia knew Regulus would too.

"Don't— Don't care about what they think." Adelia's eyes shot open to look at the boy leaning against the doorframe. "It doesn't matter what they think."

"But what—" To her dismay, Adelia knew her voice trembled. "Regulus will agree with whatever they think and he won't—"

"If he chooses to follow our parents that blindly then he isn't someone you want to be friends with." Sirius said with a hard edge in his voice.

Hearing footsteps approaching, they both silenced themselves. Siruis turned to leave but stopped. Over his shoulder he muttered, "Reg is right though, you do look nice tonight." And then he was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Update: 46 of 89

Another of my favorite stories. :)

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"Excited to be back at Hogwarts?" Lily asked as she sat across from Sev and Adelia.

The girl nodded. There were butterflies in her stomach. And she knew they weren't from nerves about going back to school.

She was walking back from the bathroom alone when she bumped into someone and got knocked to the ground.

The fall made her cringe; she'd landed on her bruises. Looking up, she was met with the grey eyes of Sirius Black.

All words suddenly left her mind. What would he say to her?

But he looked at her curiously. It was a scathing look; she felt as though he was seeing through her façade. She felt he could see the bruises she had decorating her body, the ones she tried so hard to hide from Sev, Lily, Reg, and the world.

_"Don't— Don't care about what they think. It doesn't matter what they think."_ he had said that night. _"You do look nice tonight."_ Her cheeks had burned bright red for hours afterward as she thought of his words.

"Hello Adelia." all hope inside of her diminished. There was that tone in his voice again; the cold, distant, cruel tone she'd come to associate with him. It seemed that no mention of her dinner at his house would be made.

She looked away from him.

"Adelia." her head turned at the sound of Regulus' voice. She smiled up at the younger Black. Regulus gave her his hand to help her up.

When Adelia turned around to look at Sirius, she found he was gone.

Her second year flew by rather quickly with Regulus, Lily, and Sev at her side. Many times during that year, she found herself studying Regulus' mannerisms, searching for a hint of truth in what Sirius had said to her.

Was Regulus really pretending?

Did he despise her for her blood like his parents did?

Was he not voicing his true opinions about Lily because he knew she was friends with Lily?

She passed the year trying to avoid Sirius as much as possible but the boy always seemed to be around. It didn't help that his arrogant friend, Potter, seemed to be in love with Lily. Constantly, he tried to talk to her, much to Sev's annoyance. Adelia watched her brother love Lily more and more each day. They were thirteen years old but she knew Sev really loved Lily.

Sirius pranked her and tormented her all the while she tried to pretend it wasn't happening. She couldn't let Sev know about it. She tried to pretend that she _didn't_ want to see him every day but she knew that Sirius Black, even when he tormented her, gave her butterflies.

"Reg, I don't think it's a good idea." she muttered quietly as they stood alone in a compartment as the train approached King's Cross. "Your parents didn't seem too—"

"They just…look, I mean that's what they're like."

She looked at him in surprise. Was he defending his parents? Sirius had gladly told her not to listen to a word they said and yet Reg, the brother who is supposedly her friend, is defending them?"

"Reg, I don't want to come to dinner."

"Please?" he asked. "Come on…they'll be better this time. I swear."

"Reg—"

"Adelia, just come to dinner. It'll be fine." he said with a charming smile.

She came through the fireplace, this time not crashing into anyone. Adelia tried to hide her disappointment.

"Adelia!" she turned to her friend and smiled.

"Hey Regulus." Reg hugged her in greeting and she winced as he accidently hit her bruises.

Over Reg's shoulder, Adelia met the gaze of Sirius. He was watching her with narrowed eyes. Adelia had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach; he had seen her wince.

Removing her gaze from the elder Black, Adelia smiled at Regulus as he looped his arm through hers and led her into the dining room.

Dinner was a cold, tense, and quiet affair.

Regulus' mother constantly switched her glare between Adelia and Sirius. Sirius glared at his mother and Regulus. Adelia couldn't help her gaze from straying toward Sirius. She often found him looking at her.

"What does your father do?" The boys' father asked.

_Drink._ Adelia thought, but knew that wouldn't be an appropriate response.

"He works at the textile mill near our home." she replied quietly.

Adelia could feel the disapproval washing over her.

"Of course, that's not an adequate profession for anyone." Sirius muttered sarcastically as he stabbed his food with his fork. "Wouldn't want anyone thinking that a person who actually works for a living is better than a snobby housewife." he said pointedly as he glared at his mother.

Walburga Black gave her son a dangerous look. "Go to your room, Sirius." she said with venom. "I will deal with you later." Adelia's breath was tight in her chest and suddenly she feared for Sirius.

Sirius stood up forcefully from the table, shaking the liquid in the glasses. He turned and left the room; moments later a door slammed upstairs.

"Where is your bathroom?" Adelia asked Regulus quietly while they sat in his room. Regulus had been looking for her birthday gift. He seemed to have misplaced it.

"Down the hall on the right." she nodded and followed his directions.

Walking back to Regulus' room after she was done, she stopped short as she passed Sirius' bedroom.

"Don't you dare," Walburga hissed, "try to embarrass me in front of guests again."

"Given what you've said, I doubt you consider her much of a guest."

"Amy is a guest of your brother's—"

"Adelia! For the love of Merlin, her name is Adelia. But why would you remember that? Your head is too full of—"

The sharp, familiar sound of flesh smacking flesh startled her. Cautiously, she looked back into the bedroom. Sirius held the side of his face; his mother had her wand out. She had hit him.

"Sorry, I'm such an embarrassment Mum; didn't know courage was such a horrible—"

"Crucio." his mother said casually. Adelia had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from being heard as she watched Sirius wither painfully on the ground. He fought to keep from screaming. Adelia couldn't stop the tears from springing to her eyes. She wanted to help but she didn't know how. She couldn't even defend herself against her own tormentor.

For a moment, his eyes swept over the crack between the open door and the doorframe that Adelia had been seeing through. His eyes widened slightly and Adelia knew she had to run back to Regulus' room. Sirius had seen her.

She left the Black house that night, with a pain in her heart. She wondered if Regulus knew what his mother had done to Sirius. Adelia knew it wasn't the first time Sirius had been punished like that.

"And where have you been? Out with your stupid magic friends?" her father slurred as she appeared back home. She sighed. She didn't want to have to defend herself to her father anymore.

"I was at dinner." she said quietly. Her father got up from his chair, a great feat given how much he stumbled.

"Dinner with your rich friends. You think you're so much better than this family? You think you're too good for us? Your mother does too! But you're both wrong. You're nothing! Soon enough your little friends will see that."

"I wasn't—"

Her father reeled back and slapped her across the face. "Don't you dare back talk to me!" he roared as the smell of whiskey flew into her face.

Her cheek stung with familiar pain.

"I'm sorry." she whispered quietly.

"Get to bed!" he roared; frightened she ran off to her shabby little room.

Lying in bed, she knew it wasn't right.

She shouldn't be afraid of her father. She shouldn't wish her mother would grow a backbone and get her and Sev away their father. Sirius shouldn't be abused by his mother. She shouldn't wish Sirius stood in Regulus' place every time she spoke to him.

Things shouldn't be like this.

Adelia wished Regulus was strong enough to stand up to his parents.

She wished Sev would tell Lily how he felt; she hoped Lily would reciprocate.

She wished Walburga wouldn't hurt her son anymore.

Adelia wished that her mother would get the courage to protect her children.

Adelia knew, even at thirteen years of age, these things wouldn't happen.

She realized that she would have to get courage to change things herself.


	6. Chapter 6

Adelia Snape was very glad to be back at Hogwarts. And for the first few months, she had never been happier. She was close with Reg and a few others in her House. Her brother was always around with Lily.

Sirius was still around but it seemed that he was taunting less. He was just around a lot. Often, she'd feel like someone was watching her; she'd look up in the Great Hall or in the library and she'd met his eyes. His stare pulled her in every time. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Sirius Black was her brother's enemy. Sirius Black hated her by association. Adelia didn't know why she was bothering.

She was happy. And then the letter came.

It had seemed like just another winter evening. She was at dinner with Regulus on her right and Sev across from her. An owl landed in front of Sev. He opened it and Adelia watched as his face changed as he read.

"Sev?" she asked quietly over the din of the Hall.

But he didn't say anything. He merely handed the letter and watched her read it with guarded eyes.

Confused, she turned her eyes down to the sloppy writing. She recognized it instantly as her father's. As she read on, her chest grew tighter until she found it hard to breathe in the crowded room.

Standing up forcefully from the bench, she ran out of the hall.

She pushed through the entrance doors and ran across the grounds until she stopped underneath a giant tree.

It was freezing outside but she didn't care. It was snowing but she didn't care.

Adelia clenched the letter tightly in her hands as her sobs racked through her body.

"Adelia."

She shut her eyes tightly as she heard his voice. She couldn't deal with him right now. "Please go away."

"What's wrong?" he asked anyway as he kneeled down in the snow next to her.

"Please go—"

"No." he responded resolutely.

"Why?"

"What's wrong?" he asked again, ignoring her question.

Wordlessly, she surrendered the letter to him. With furrowed eyebrows, he turned his gaze to the letter.

"I'm sorry." he said as he finished reading.

"I am too." she cried. "We never really got along… and now she's…" her teeth were chattering as she tried to find the words to say. Sirius realized she must've been freezing.

"Come on."

She allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"Where?"

"Its cold." he replied.

"I—"

"Love the cold, I know." He continued to lead her along. He pulled her through the corridors of Hogwarts. They stopped in front of a portrait of fruit.

"I'm not really in the mood to look at fruit, Sirius." she sniffled.

He didn't respond as he reached up to tickle the pear.

The portrait swung to the side to reveal a large kitchen full of scurrying house-elves.

"Sirius?" she questioned with the letter clenched tightly in her hand.

But he only took her hand and pulled her into the kitchen.

"Mr. Sirius!" A rather wide-eyed house elf exclaimed. "Sit! Sit!"

Instantly, two stools appeared for them.

"What can Twinky get for Mr. Sirius?"

"Two cups of hot chocolate, extra marshmallows…" After an appraising glance at Adelia, he added "and a plate of chocolate chip cookies."

Almost instantly, the food appeared.

"Drink." he said pushing a steaming cup toward her.

He watched tentatively while she sipped.

Sirius smiled slightly as he saw the corners of her lips turn upward.

"Tell me about her." he said after a moment while he handed her a warm cookie.

"We weren't close…" Adelia began as she ran a finger along the edge of her cup, "she was always too busy fighting with my dad. I figured that maybe when I got older and moved out…we would get along better. But now…" she exhaled, "now I guess that's not going to happen."

"I'm sorry." he said again.

"I thought I would have more time because…well people don't just die. She was healthy…I mean…"

"I know." he said as his hand betrayed him and reach out to gently caress the back of her hand. "I know."

"Let's not talk about this anymore." she said, looking at him through her dark lashes.

He wanted to know more about her mother. He wanted her to want to tell him. But he agreed.

They had finished their drinks and the last cookie crumb had been consumed.

"Well," Sirius began awkwardly as they stopped at the place they would part. She to the dungeons and he to the tower.

"Thank you for showing me the kitchens." she said quietly.

"No problem." he replied quickly, wanting to say _something_.

"Well…goodbye." she said.

"Bye..."

She turned to walk away.

"Wait!"

"Yes?" She said, a tiny glimmer of hope shining in eyes.

"I'm sorry about your mum."

"Thanks."

Then she turned and walked away again—her footfalls echoing in the hall.

Watching her go, he muttered to himself, "Sodding idiot." He took off after her suddenly.  
"Adelia."

Then he pulled her to his chest and kissed her.

* * *

She arrived at her common room on Cloud Nine.

"Where have you been?" Sev asked as soon as she entered.

"Walking around." she said quietly as she was intercepted by Reg.

He didn't say anything. He only wrapped his arms around her.

She returned the hug, feeling horrible for being so happy even though her mother just died.

The next day, she passed Sirius in the hallway and he didn't say a thing.

She had been a fool, she was sure. It was just a kiss. It hadn't meant anything.

And then she was pulled into a classroom and a familiar pair of lips met hers.

"Hey." he said as he pulled away.

"Hey." she smiled back. "I thought—"

"You thought what?"

"Nothing, it's stupid."

"No, tell me."

"I thought you were playing me."

He sighed, "I just don't think we should tell anyone, you know? With your brother and my brother and…"

* * *

"I'll be right back." she said as she left Reg and Sev. "Going to go change out of my robes."

Walking down the corridor to the bathroom, she was pulled suddenly into a compartment.

"Hey," the beautiful boy said as he pushed his lips against hers and intertwined their fingers.

"Hi." she replied when she pulled away from him.

She smiled as he twirled a strand of her hair in between his fingers.

"Not sure how I'm going to like not seeing you every day." he whispered in her ear.

She grinned, "You'll see me in a few weeks when I come for dinner."

He groaned. "You should stop subjecting yourself to them."

"You should stop defending me." she said suddenly.  
"What?"

"To them. To your mum. It only hurts you in the—"

"Don't worry about it."

"I saw what she did last year."

"I know you saw. But I see too, okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I saw how you wince and I saw the bruises when you came back from winter holiday."

"That doesn't—"

"I can't sit there and let my mother attack you while Regulus does nothing."

"Stop patronizing them. You'll only get hurt in the end."

"It'll be worth it."

"I'm not worth it, trust me." she whispered as she turned to go.

"Adelia," her name flowed off of his lips like a melody.

Stopping just before she left, she turned and ran back to him. She pressed her lips against his and tangled her fingers in his hair before pulling away and leaving him in the compartment.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been a few weeks since she had last seen Sirius. It was the longest she had gone without him since they started whatever it was that they were.

Her heart was racing anxiously at the thought of seeing him. She had missed him terribly.

"Adelia!" Her hopes fell as Regulus embraced her in his arms. "Come, dinner is about to start." The younger Black took her hand and led her from the living room into the dinning room.

Regulus pulled out her chair for her to sit in and was about to take the seat next to her when Sirius slid into the chair leaving Regulus to sat the seat across from Adelia. She had to bit her lip to hold back her smile.

"Snape." he muttered quietly.

"Black." she returned. As Kreacher brought in their dinner, Sirius' hand found hers under the table. Every time his mother made a comment about Adelia, she squeezed his hand firmly to stop him from saying something he would later regret.

Unfortunately, the fifth time his mother called her 'Amy' got to him.

He finally snapped, "Her name is Adelia! How many times do you have to be told that before you understand? And you!" he shouted turning to Regulus, "How many times does she have to insult Adelia before you grow a god damn backbone and fucking stand up for her?"

"Sirius!—" her mother began to harshly reprimand.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm going to my room." he scoffed as he pushed his chair away from the table forcefully and stormed from the room.

As soon as dinner was over, Regulus brought Adelia up to his room while his mother went into Sirius' room to punish her son.

Adelia knew what was going to happen to Sirius and she felt guilty for it. She could barely focus on what Regulus was saying to her as she fidgeted anxiously.

"Adelia? Adelia?"

"What?" she asked, snapping out of her daze.

"I just…I want to make sure that you don't think I agree with them. I mean…she is my mother…I can't seem to stand up to her like Sirius can. Just…just know that I don't care about what they say about you because I…" Regulus trailed off as he leaned in closer to the girl.

She didn't know what was happening until Regulus pressed his lips across hers. It was different than it was with Sirius—she realized that in the singular moment she allowed the kiss to linger for.

Adelia pulled away quickly and moved from him.

"Adelia…I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"It's…it's fine. I just…I have to use the bathroom." she murmured as she left his room. Adelia did not have to use the bathroom; instead, she went right to Sirius' room.

She found him sitting disheveled on the ground as he buttoned up his shirt.

He looked up at her as she entered—his grey eyes piercing her. Adelia sat down next to him and placed her hands on his—stilling their movement.

"What's wrong?" he asked instantly as his eyes ran over her face.

"Nothing." she lied and toyed with his fingers. She ducked her head and allowed her hair to fall into her face.

"Something's wrong. Did my mother say something—"

"No…no, she didn't. It's nothing. Nothing to worry about—" she insisted, shaking her head.

"I don't care if I'm supposed to worry about it. What happened?" he asked as he moved to cup her face in his hands. 'Don't you trust me?"

"I do but—"

"Then what happened?" he demanded.

"Regulus kissed me." she whispered. He pulled his hands away from her face and scrambled to get up. He hissed in pain as he did so—giving her enough time to stand in front of the door.

"Sirius—"

"He kissed you, Adelia! He kissed you!"

"I know but…but it's not a big deal."

"How can it not be a big deal? _How_?"

"Because he doesn't know about us. It's not like he purposely kissed me to spite you. He doesn't know. If he did, he wouldn't have kissed me."

"That doesn't matter! The fact is that he kissed you! That means he has feelings for you and by me not punching him, I'm giving him a green light to keep kissing you."

"You're being ridiculous." she murmured as she placed her hands on his chest to stop him; he couldn't stop himself from wincing.

She saw the movement and looked at him questioningly.

"It's nothing." he shrugged but she no longer believed him. Her hands went to unbutton his shirt.

"Adelia—" he protested, but she did not listen. She slid the shirt from his chest and let it fall to the ground. She cringed at the bruises and cuts.

"Your shirt wasn't ripped." she muttered.

"I took it off before-hand. Didn't want to ruin another shirt." he muttered as she reached out to touch a bruise.

"Don't." he said as he caught her wrist. She looked up to meet his eyes trembling. He was surprised to find there were tears in her eyes.

"You have to get out of here." she said.

"I will when you get out of your house." he said.

"I have no where to go."

"Neither do I."

"Go to the Potters."

"If you go to Evans'."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I can't abandon—."

"He hits you!" he hissed. "That's not right!"

"And you think this is right?" she said, gesturing to his bruises. "You think this is okay? It's not. It's not. It's not!" she said, as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

"I know." he murmured as he pulled her close. "Shhh….I know." he murmured softly into her hair as he held her tightly.

* * *

She giggled softly as his lips pressed lightly against her neck in a more neglected part of the library. Adelia was fourteen and positively entranced by Sirius Black.

"We're going to be found." she whispered.

"So?" he mumbled mischievously. "Who cares?"

Her stomach tightened uncomfortably.

"You do." she muttered as she shrugged out of his grasp. It was March of her fourth year. Adelia and Sirius had been meeting for more than a year and she still didn't know what they were doing or how he felt for her.

Sighing, Sirius followed her as she meandered her way through the dusty shelves.

"Hey." he said, grabbing her arm to make her face him. "Don't act like you—"

"I'm not—!" she checked herself and glanced around them before dragged them deeper among the shelves. "I'm not saying that I want to be found out either but it's a little different for—"

"It's exactly the same thing, Adelia. It's the same and you know it!"

"No, its not!" she said, stomping her foot and feeling childish for it.

"How is it not?"

"Your friends hate me because of my brother. Your friends would be disappointed, maybe just confused, about..." she gestured between them to intimate what she could not express "about _this_ but my brother...my brother would be furious! All you've ever done is torment him. If he found out about..._us._..he...he would never speak to me again!"

"Well, if you're risking so much then why are we still doing this?"

"Because I'm falling for you and I can't god damn help it!" she hissed loudly before turning on her heel and stomping away.

Sirius watched her go for a moment as a silly sort of grin slid onto his face. Adelia was falling for him. She had admitted it. Now Sirius, of course, wouldn't admit to the light, happy feeling that fact gave him in his gut.

Smiling, he followed after her—his long legs catching up with the fleeing girl quickly. He caught her arm and turned her—yet again—to face him. Cupping her face tenderly, he leaned down to press his lips against hers.

Pulling away, he smiled the grin that sent her heart fluttering. "So." he drawled. "You're falling for me, huh?"

Adelia was falling for him. They met every chance they got. They had hidden their relationship for so long that it was second nature to lie to her brother and her friends.

Sirius hardly bothered her publicly anymore; he couldn't bring himself to be mean to her. Her brother was a different story. Sirius cared for Adelia but he couldn't stop himself from tormenting Snivellus.

Adelia and Sirius had something good going on for far too long. It was only a matter of time before it was destroyed.

* * *

Just after the last exam for fifth years, she came outside too late; immediately, her eyes were drawn to the crowd that was gathered just a little away from her.

The next thing her eyes landed on was her brother hanging upside down.

Taking off at a run, she felt she couldn't get there fast enough. It was her brother; she was the younger sister, true, but she knew she had to protect him. She got there just in time to hear Sev call Lily a mudblood.

Adelia blocked out the voices around her as she shoved her way through the crowd of students. Wand drawn, she finally burst into the center of the circle; she didn't bother to appraise the situation as she noticed two figures out of the corner of her eye standing with their wands pointed at her brother.

Waving her wand, she sent the two figures flying back into the tree behind him. She was shaking with anger. She heard a thump behind her, probably caused by Sev hitting the ground. Glancing around, she noted that Lily was gone; she must've left the circle as Adelia was going in.

She turned back to face Sev, but he was already on his feet. She met his gaze; he shook his head slightly, telling her not to say anything. She knew he was annoyed she'd helped, but she wasn't going to just let two jerks—

She turned her head toward the two people who had been harassing her brother; her stomach turned as she saw Sirius and Potter getting to their feet. She wished she was surprised, but she wasn't. Adelia wished she didn't expect this.

If looks could kill, Sirius Black would be way more than six feet under. He knew Adelia was beyond angry. Bloody hell, she was shaking; he didn't like how uneasy her glare made him.

Adelia wanted to curse them. She wanted to punch them. She wanted to hurt him so much; she would've, but Sev knew she was going to do and he stopped her. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her through the crowd and away from their tormentors. Adelia didn't understand how she could've ever thought she loved someone like Sirius Black.

* * *

"Sev—"

"I have to go find Lily. I have to explain—"

Adelia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No, you don't."

"Adelia—"

"She's not worth it! You don't need her—"

"She is my best friend—"

"Look, just don't go after her today. Let her have time to cool off." Sev merely turned from her and disappeared down the empty corridor.

Fuming, Adelia stormed down the corridor in the opposite direction and went off in search of the girl who'd broken her brother's heart. Finally, she caught sight of the horrible red-head.

"Evans!" she yelled angrily. Lily turned around and had the nerve to look surprised that Adelia was storming toward her.

"Adelia—" The younger girl was furious. She had trusted Lily. She had looked up at her as a sister. Adelia knew how much her brother cared for the inconsiderate girl before her. She had her wand out and pointed it threateningly toward Lily.

"How could you do that?"

"Look—"

"No! He is your best friend Li—Evans!"

"What he said—"

"I don't care! He was embarrassed! Your little boyfriend and his Gryffindork friends—"

"—Potter is not my—"

"Had just harassed him in front of an entire crowd of kids! He didn't know what he was saying. He's a guy! He needed to handle the situation, which why I probably shouldn't have gotten involved. But! This is why the houses aren't supposed to mix! Gryffindors are only loyal to their own house—"

A hand reached over her shoulder and pulled her wand out of her grasp.

"Why don't you go up to the tower, Evans? James is looking for you; he'll be coming soon. You'll probably want to get out of here to avoid him." he suggested as she turned to face him angrily.

"Black—" Lily tried to protest, but Sirius' gaze never left Adelia's face.

"Go."

Her retreating footsteps were only accompanied by the sound of their breathing.

"What are you doing, Adelia—" he began, reaching out toward her with her wand still in his other hand.

"Don't touch me." she snapped, stepping out of his reach.

"You were going to curse Evans. She is your fri—"

"She's not my friend."

"So just like that, you're going to turn your back on her?"

"She turned her back on Sev."

"Well Snivellus isn't exactly worth any—"

"Shut up!" she screamed, her voice bouncing off of the stone walls. "You wouldn't understand. She hurt my brother. _You_ hurt my brother. He's my family. Family sticks together, but I guess you wouldn't understand that, Black"

"Yes, because your family is so amazing, _Snape_. What with your dead mother and your ass of a father, I can't comprehend why you wouldn't want go home for the holidays."

"At least I have someone who cares about me, Black. My brother cares. Yours hates you. Yours sees you for what you are!"

"I think your problem is that you don't see Snivellus for what he is. A Dark Arts-loving, cowardly—"

"I'm done." she hissed as her rage was fueled by her hate of everything that had gone wrong in her life.

"Done with what?" he yelled.

"Done with whatever this is! You say he's a coward but you hide our…meetings from your friends—"

"As if you didn't hide them from your brother—"

"I'm done. I hate you!"

"Please, _Adelia_. I don't even care enough about you to hate you. You're nothing!"

* * *

Adelia knocked on the door to his dormitory with a shaking hand.

The door opened to his surprised face. "Adelia?" he asked as he took in the look on her face.

"Regulus…" she whimpered as she furiously tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Come on." he said, taking the shaking girl into his arms and leading her into his room that was luckily devoid of his roommates.

"What's going on?" he asked as he sat her down on his bed and took his place crouching before her.

She said nothing, but the tears continued to spill from her eyes.

"Hey…" he muttered softly as he held her face in his hands; gently he wiped away a tear with his thumb.

She stared into his grey eyes and knew they were different.

Regulus was her best friend; and he cared about her. His affiliations may be as Sirius said but at least _he _cared.

To the other brother, she was nothing. She didn't matter.

But as she was held by the boy before her, she could pretend that he was the one she cared for. She could close her eyes and see his black hair and his startling grey eyes that were somehow so different from his older brother's.

It was without a thought in her head that she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against those of the younger Black.

It was without a thought that she pulled him closer. And as the kiss lengthened and became more passionate, she didn't think about the consequences. She wanted to feel loved for once.

They were fortunate that none of Regulus' roommates returned to their room. They were fortunate in only that respect. Adelia's cheeks burned red as she scrambled around the room to pick up her clothes.

She'd gone too far and she couldn't take back what they'd done. All she could do was hope that this wouldn't ruin their friendship.

For the last few days of the school year, she spent her time with Regulus in awkward silence. She didn't see Sirius; mainly because she was avoiding him. She didn't see him on the train home, also because she was avoiding him. But she knew he wasn't looking for her anyway, so what did it matter?


	8. Chapter 8

She was dreading dinner that night. Adelia, more than anything in the world, did not want to go. Adelia had avoided him successfully, but now she was trapped, dreading the moment when she would have to face him.

Adelia was still so angry for allowing herself to be fooled by him. She had convinced herself that he had changed, but she was wrong. He was the same cruel person he always was. She was foolish to think a few secret meetings would change that. Sirius Black didn't care about anyone but himself.

The dinner would be a useful way to show him that she was better off without him. She didn't need him. She had Regulus—someone who actually cared about her.

She landed, as she had become so accustomed to, in the Black household. Waiting to greet her was Regulus. Forcing the smile onto her face, she said hello with a hug, wincing as he brushed against her bruised ribs too hard.

"How are you?" he murmured as he took her hand and led her toward the dining room.

"Fine," she shrugged. "I've missed you." she replied softly as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I've missed you too," he replied at her, before leading them into the dinning room. His mother's gaze fell upon their intertwined hands and she did not look pleased. However, she held her tongue.

Regulus and Adelia sat side by side at the dinner table; despite herself, her eyes kept flying to the doorway to see his approach.

Sirius never came.

His seat remained empty at the table and no one mentioned him.

Later that night after dinner, as Regulus peppered her neck with kisses and slid the straps of her dress down off her shoulders, she asked where he was, unable to wonder about him any longer.

"Moved out." came Regulus' short replied, "Couldn't take being the shame of the family, I guess." he murmured as he placed his lips against hers again.

* * *

"_Adelia_!"

She froze at the sound of his voice. Surreptitiously, she tugged at her cloak and smoothed her hair down as he approached her in the empty corridor.

Adelia had been making her way back to her dormitory a few weeks into the new school year. She had been able to avoid him on the train and in the corridors; Adelia had become particularly good at ducking into empty classrooms to avoid him.

"Hey." he said stepping closer to her. She took a step back out of instinct, not trusting herself near him.

"Black." she replied icily, hoping he'd take the hint and stay away from her.

His eyes narrowed at her for just a moment before he continued, "Didn't see you on the train."

"Really?" she said, feigning indifference.

Sirius added, "And I haven't seen you since the start of the term, until now of course."

"I've been around." she said with an impatient sigh, as if he was wasting her time.

He said slowly, "I didn't see you much at the end of last year's term either."

"Are you my keeper, Sirius? Do I have to report to you my whereabouts at all times?"

He crinkled his eyes at her, not even bothering to hide the surprise splayed across his features, "'Course not—"

Whatever feeble reply he had been about to make was lost as her anger rose, "I've been busy, Black."

"Busy with whom, Adelia? Your _quality _friends?" he scoffed with derision. "They're _definitely _worth your time and _they _definitely care about you."

"Some people believe I'm worth more than simply nothing!"

"Oh, like who? Your mum?" he scoffed again, "Or maybe your dad?" he shouted. The anger pulsing through her veins made her push him away as she turned to leave him.

She tossed over her shoulder, "Your brother, you arse!"

"Oh and just how did the Death Eater manage to convince you of this?" scoffed Sirius as he reached out and grabbed her wrist to pull her closer. His touch burned her wrist.

Adelia met his gaze with an unforgiving stare. She fleetingly rethought telling, but she wanted to hurt him. "We slept together."

"You—" he stopped short and she watched as his face seemed to crumble for a moment. "You slept with Regulus?" he whispered, his grip tight on her wrist.

"Yes." His eyes darted across her face, searching for the lie she _had _to be telling.

"When?" he demanded sharply; his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Before." she said with a shrug.

"Adelia! _When_?" Desperation seeped into his tone.

"End of last year." Without thinking, she added, "After what you did to my brother."

"I strung your brother up in the air by his leg and you _devirgined_ yourself with my brother?" his tone was as harsh and unforgiving as his gaze. "I hardly think that's entirely equal."

She shook her head, trying to convince him that "It wasn't to get back at you—"

"Then why bother telling me?" he retorted angrily. He released his grip on her arm and stepped from her. "Why would you share?"

"I don't matter, right? Why do you care?" she shouted.

"I— I don't _care_." he stuttered out. "I just…you were fourteen!"

"_You_ were thirteen, or at least, that's the word around the castle." she snapped back, infuriated that he was prying into her private life.

"You were fourteen for Merlin's sake. You were—are a _child_." he shouted, shaking his head at her.

"I am n—"

"You are fragile and vulnerable and you're just the type of target someone like my brother would take advantage of. You are fragile and breakable and teetering on the edge of—"

"None of that stopped you." she quipped back. He had the decency to look offended.

"Fine. I see now! I'm the villain and he's some glorious hero? Fine! Go off and fuck him! Do whatever the hell you want, _Adelia_! You aren't worth my time anyway!"

* * *

What was he thinking?

Perhaps the problem was that he wasn't thinking. It seemed he rarely did when it came to her.

Regulus walked out of the classroom last; his usual entourage of friends had left while he stayed behind to finish his potion in class.

"What are you doing?" Sirius muttered to himself as he caught up with his brother further down the corridor, calling out "Regulus!"

The boy turned at the sound of his name and looked surprised to see his brother. "What do you want, Sirius?"

"I—" Here was the flaw in his ill-thought-out plan. How could he go about this? "I…uh—You and Snape?" he questioned.

Regulus furrowed his brow as he adjusted the strap on his bag. "As in Severus and I or…?"

Sirius averted his eyes, "No. You and uh…A—Adelia."

His brother narrowed his eyes at him. "What do you want, Sirius?" repeated Regulus.

"Look, I just…I _heard_ about you two and uh…you know I just…I think you should know that you should be…she's differen— she's fragile—"

"Are you telling me to be careful with her?" scoffed Regulus. "Do you…_care_ about her, Sirius?"

"No! No, 'course not!" he denied vehemently. "No way. I …I dunno if she told you—"

Regulus' brow remained furrowed; his elder brother was making no sense. "Told me what? What would _you_ know about her that I don't, Sirius?"

"Nothing." Sirius backtracked. "Nothing, but…I just noticed…"

"Noticed what?"

"She flinches." Sirius shrugged as he scuffed his sneaker against the ground, feigning nonchalance.

"Flinches when, Sirius? You're not making sense."

"When you hugged her one summer when she came over, she flinched. She winces too. Hell, she had bruises on her arms. I'm just…look, I'm just saying maybe you don't know everything about her—"

"Are you honestly telling me to be careful with her? Are you telling me not to hurt her? Where do you get off acting like you know better?" Regulus was yelling, his voice booming up and down the corridor, "Where do you get off telling _me _not to hurt her? That's all you've done since her first year! You damn near killed her before she even got sorted!"

Sirius tried to calm him, feeling foolish for even having brought it up now, "I know, Regulus—"

"And the funniest thing is that you _hate _our parents for how they feel about mudbloods and muggles. You hate how they act because of _blood_. That's why you bloody left home! And yet that's what you hate about her. That's why you've always bothered her. Because of her _blood_.

"If she had any other last name, you would have never even bothered her! You have a lot of nerve acting like_ I'm_ going to hurt her!" Regulus shook his head at his brother, rolling his eyes. Regulus walked away from him, muttering, "When have you even spoken to her, anyway?" to himself as he went.

* * *

"Have you ever talked to Sirius?"

Adelia tensed as she lay in Regulus' arms. "Aside from when he's tormenting me? Hardly. Why?"

"He just…he spoke to me a few days ago. Said I should be careful with you because you're fragile."

She scoffed, "What the hell does he know?"

"He said you wince and flinch, and that you have bruises." Regulus added, watching her carefully for any sign of the truth.

"I don't know what he's talking about." she muttered as she felt the anger building in her body.

"But—"

"Do you really want spend the night talking about your brother?" she whispered in his ear. "I can think of some other things I'd rather be doing." she suggested with a forced giggle.

* * *

"Where the hell do you get off?" she yelled at him as soon as she came across him in an empty corridor. "What were you thinking?"

"Don't know what you're talking about Adelia." he denied with a careless shrug.

"You talked to Regulus! You told him I was fucking _fragile_! What the hell is wrong with you?" she yelled. "Mind your own damn business, Black!"

"I—"

Her tone softened, "Why would you talk to him, Sirius? Why?" She wasn't entirely sure what answer she was expecting from him. She didn't know what she wanted from him.

"I don't need to justify myself to you." he shrugged.

"Bull. You could've stayed out of it. You didn't have to tell him about—!"

"About what, Adelia! You can't even admit it to, can you? You can't tell anyone because you're too damn afraid! You can't even tell your own brother!"

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! Why did you tell him? If you don't care—"

"I don't. I just...I dunno."

"You have to know! Why would you?"

But he didn't have an answer.

* * *

"What happened?" she asked quietly from her brother's bedside.

"Nothing." he muttered.

"Sev—"

"Nothing happened, Adelia." His tone was final, telling her she shouldn't press the issue. But she did anyway.

"You're in the bloody Hospital Wing. I think something must've happened."

"Stay out of it, Adelia." he hissed.

"Sev, just tell me what the hell happened!"

He sighed, as if fighting himself. He paused before answering. "I think Lupin is a werewolf. All the clues are there, I just needed the proof. Then I overheard Black talking about the Whomping Willow and how to get it to freeze. He was talking about Lupin and I knew it was my chance to get proof."

He had done it on purpose. Sev could have died and it would have been entirely Sirius Black's fault.

* * *

"He could have died." she hissed lowly, slamming her books down onto the table. "You could have killed him!" She was clenching her teeth together so hard her jaw was starting to ache.

"I didn't do anything." he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's not my fault _dear old Sev _can't keep his greasy nose out of other people's business." Sirius carelessly turned the page in the book he was reading.

Anger fueled her actions as she ripped the book out of his grasp and flung it away. It landed with a thud a few feet away. "You knew damn well he was listening. You knew he would try and follow. _He could have died_."

"Then the world would've been better off with one less Snape in the world." he snarled back.

"I wouldn't have anyone." she replied, hating the tears welling up in her eyes at the thought. "I'd be alone and it would have been your fault."

His careless expression faltered and fell for a moment. She saw it, clear as day. The smirk slipped from his lips as his eyes ran over the tears in her eyes.

Sirius leaned toward her and whispered, "You wouldn't be alone." His expression was soft; it dragged her back through time to the moments when he held her in his arms. Something changed however. His fists clenched and he leaned back into his chair. "You'd have Regulus. You two could fuck and I'm sure you'd forget all of your problems. It seems _that's_ how you deal with your issues."

"Fuck you, Sirius." she hissed as she grabbed her books off the table.

"Trust me," he called at her retreating back, "I wouldn't come near you. I don't want my brother's sloppy seconds!"


	9. Chapter 9

Two more years. That was it. Just two more years and she could escape her home. That's it. Only two more years. Twenty-four months. Most of them would be spent at school. There were only two weeks until the start of the new year. She'd be a sixth year. She could survive this. She could last.

But his rough palm colliding with her face told her otherwise.

She could not survive the summer. She could not last in this cold, empty home. She would not make and she could not let herself live with him anymore.

His voice was pounding in her ears, telling her she was worthless, that she was useless. He was taunting her; telling her she was nothing just like her mother. Telling her that she wasn't going anywhere in life; that she'd end up as a waste of space just like her mother did.

As each second passed, her grip tightened on her wand.

_She was not allowed to do magic outside of school._

It was law. Adelia could not do it.

But there was no one home to hear her whimpers and cries of pain. Severus was out with his companions, unknowing leaving her alone with a monster. There was no one to care. She could not escape to a friend's home. All she had was Regulus and going there was not an option.

He was yelling at her now, calling her a bitch, calling her a snob, saying she thought she was better than him because of all the fancy dinners she went to at Regulus' home.

Father said 'he'd teach her a lesson' just as his fist collided with her face and then her ribs.

Adelia was sick of the pain. Sick of the torment and the hate and the rage. She was sick of being afraid and feeling weak.

She was not useless. She was not nothing. She could stand up for herself and she could not take his abuse any longer.

No longer would she close her eyes at night and see him screaming at her. No longer would she dream of being hit. No longer would she dream of him knocking her down.

"You are nothing more than a—"

His words weren't registering in her mind. All she could see was his hand coming closer to her face. Over and over every abuse levied against her played in her mind.

His voice was yelling in her ear, sounding like nothing more than gibberish as Sirius flashed through her mind, telling her she meant nothing to him. Telling her one less Snape in the world would be a good thing.

She could feel Regulus' hands all over her body. She could see the look on Sirius' face when she told him about her and Regulus.

The only thing she felt was anger. Raging, pulsating anger that consumed her and burned away all vestige of common sense. Nothing mattered except anger. Nothing at all.

Nothing mattered when his hand closed around her throat and oxygen had a hard time getting to her brain. She could feel her wand still in her pocket and she didn't even think about pulling it out and pointing it directly at his chest.

She was sick and tired of being pushed around and feeling worthless. Adelia was sick of suppressing her anger and sick of being alone.

It did not matter that she was not allowed to do magic outside of school. It did not matter that she was underage. She just wanted it all to end.

Adelia just wanted to stand up for herself for once.

Miles and miles away, Sirius Black sat with his friends in the Potters' living room. She had been weighing heavily on her mind.

It had been months since his talk with Regulus about her, but he could not stop thinking about what his brother had said.

_That's why you've always bothered her. Because of her blood._

_Blood._

_Blood._

_Blood._

It had never occurred to him. The thought had never crossed his mind. He was a twelve year old boy when he bumped into her at Diagon Alley. She was cute; that was the first thing that had crossed his mind. But seeing Snape with her had twisted her features, had turned her shiny hair greasy, had taken her perfect little nose and made it hooked.

"What do you guys think of Adelia?" he said suddenly, interrupting whatever conversation his friends had been having.

"Adelia?" Peter asked in confusion, not knowing who she was.

James understood, however. "Adelia? Snivellus' sister?"

A look of understanding crossed Peter's face.

"Yes, what do you think of her?" he asked, surely he wasn't the only one whose opinion was warped because of her blood.

His three friends all shared a knowing look before Remus began, "Well we know how you feel about her—"

Defensively, Sirius interrupted, "What's that supposed to mean?" Was he that transparent? Was his heart really thumping that loudly when she was around? Were his palms really sweating that much?

"You torment the girl, Padfoot." Prongs explained. "More than anyone else."

"That's not…" he began to protest; that was not true. Not in his mind. But he didn't want to get off track "…Well what do you guys think of her?"

"Why?" Remus asked with a raised brow, not understanding his friend's interest.

"Just…what do you guys think of her?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"She's smart." Remus put in with a shrug. "But she's let her anger get the best of her this year. Me and a few other prefects had to break up a few of her fights this year." Sirius had not heard about that.

"She's alright, for Snape's sister….and for a Slytherin." James shrugged; Sirius' behavior was troubling him.

"She's pretty." was Peter's only input. That was no help to him; Sirius was already quite aware just how pretty she was.

"What's up, Padfoot?" Remus asked, dog-earing the corner of his book to mark his place.

The truth was making his palms sweat. He hastily tried to wipe them on his pants as he stood from his seat. He could feel their gazes on him as he paced the living room. With a sigh, he stopped in front of the window and leaned his hands on the sill.

"I met her at Diagon Alley before second year. I didn't…I didn't know she was his sister at first. She was…she was very pretty. I knew that, even at twelve years old." He bit his lip unsure of how to continue.

Miles and miles away, Adelia let her anger get the best of her. She was not thinking of control, consequences, or common sense.

In the Potters' home, Sirius told his friends how he nearly killed her, how her being a Slytherin made his stomach churned, how he tormented her for years.

And then he told about his fourth year and the feeling he got when she was around. He told them of the guilt he felt and how she had lashed out against him after they had humiliated her brother.

When he finished, his friends sat in stunned silence, unsure of how to react to the secret their friend had been keeping.

At Spinner's End, Adelia unleashed her hatred on her father. She shouted the Killing Curse, sending him crashing to the ground where he lay unmoving with eyes wide open.

Aurors arrived to arrest her. Her eyes never left the corpse of her tormentor.

Miles and miles away from her, Sirius finally admitted the truth.

"I think I've been in love with her since that first day in Diagon Alley and I was bloody stupid to let her go."

* * *

Adelia was not on the train. He searched every compartment. She was nowhere to be found. She was not sitting with her brother and she was not sitting with Regulus.

Adelia was not sitting at the Slytherin table at the feast. His gaze had scanned the table numerous times and she was not there. Remus, Peter, and James looked too and they did not see her either.

As the days passed and he could not find her, he was becoming increasingly desperate. Every day—no, even every hour—that passed was another that he spent imagining her with Regulus instead of him. He could imagine his little brother's hands on her, could see him kissing her. It all reminded him that he had screwed up; he had ruined any chance they had. He wanted desperately to fix things. But as the days passed, he was running out of chances to find her.

Soon he realized that she was not exceptionally good at hiding. _No one_ had seen her. He asked Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff students in her year but no one had seen her in class. No one knew where she was and no one had seen her.

Sirius realized she wasn't at Hogwarts. As soon as he realized that he began to panic. Instead of imagining her with Regulus, he was plagued with visions of her being beaten by her father. In his mind, he saw her in pain every day.

He thought he had only two options: ask Regulus or ask Snivellus. Neither was particularly appealing—and then Lily walked by.

_Lily_! Lily would know where she was. Running to catch up with the red-haired girl, Sirius put his most convincing smile on his face.

"What do you want, Black?" she asked with a sigh; she clearly did not want to waste time with him.

"I just…you're friends with Adelia, right?"

"Adelia Snape?" Lily asked in surprise. Then her eyes narrowed, "Why do you want with her? I'm not telling you anything about her if you're just going to torture—"

"No! Look, Evans— I mean Lily. Lily, I just…I need to know where she is."

She sighed, "She's not at Hogwarts."

"I noticed that. That's why I'm asking."

"Well, I don't know where she is. Severus and I don't…we haven't spoken much since what happened in fifth year and Adelia…Adelia has been angry at me since then. I don't know where she is."

He thought Evans had been surefire. He was positive she would know where the girl was. Sirius only had two options to turn to now. Neither was particularly pleasing.

As he tried to decide who to approach, Sirius realized that Severus Snape looked even more unhappy than usual. A deep frown seemed permanently fixed upon his face. Sirius noted even his own brother seemed down.

Sirius decided Regulus was the better option.

In a scene reminiscent of the year before, Sirius waited for his brother outside of his Potions class. Regulus sighed as he saw his brother waiting for him.

"What do you want?" Regulus said in annoyance.

"I need you to tell me why Adelia isn't here."

"You're a bastard." Regulus said, dropping his bag to the floor and shoving his brother.

"What the hell, Reg! Where is she?"

"You're a bloody git, you know that? You must know what happened or else you wouldn't have asked!" he yelled as he shoved Sirius again.

"Reg, I swear. What are you talking about?"

Regulus halted as he went to push his older brother again; studying Sirius' face, he realized, "You don't know, do you?"

A sinking feeling twisted Sirius' gut. "Know what?"

"If you don't know, why the hell are you asking about her?"

"Regulus, just tell me! Did something happen to her?" Sirius was hardly able to keep the panic out of his voice. His feelings were painfully obvious; he was sure of it.

"I was right." Regulus scoffed.

Sirius demanded defensively, "What? Right about what?"

"You care about her."

"I…" There was no point in lying. "Is she alright? When is she coming back? Where is she?" he asked his questions in a rush.

"I don't know if she's alright, Sirius." Regulus looked exhausted and worn down. "She's not coming back. And…" Regulus sighed again and looked away.

"Why don't you know how she is? Why isn't she coming back? Where is she, Regulus? I'm not playing games—"

"Neither am I, Sirius!" his brother shouted. "She's my best friend and believe it or not, you're not the only one who cares about her."

Illusions of Regulus and Adelia together attacked his mind again. Shaking them away, Sirius asked through gritted teeth, "Where is she?"

"Azkaban."

"Why the bloody hell is she there?"

"Murder."

"Stop lying, Regulus. It's not funny—"

"She killed her father, Sirius. If you don't believe me, go look a copy of the Daily Prophet from mid-August. She's not coming back."

* * *

Under the safety of Prongs' invisibility cloak, Sirius searched through backlogged copies of the Daily Prophet in the library. Finally, he found the one he was looking for.

"_Underage Witch Murders Muggle Father_." he murmured to himself. The post was dated the very day he had told his friends about their affair. "_A sixteen year-old witch was arrested today by Ministry officials for the murder of her father._ _Officials came onto the scene owing to the use of magic performed by an underage witch. Upon arriving at the scene, officials came across the witch, who seemed "apathetic" and "unemotional" over her crime. With little delay, the witch was sentenced to life due to her use of one of the Unforgivable Curses._"

That was it. No name was mentioned. Only a paragraph in tiny font expounding her fate.

She was gone from him.


	10. Chapter 10

He was not a murderer.

He was not a traitor.

Everyone in the wizarding world thought he had betrayed his friends. Everyone thought he had told Voldemort where they were hiding. Everyone thought he was a mass murderer who carelessly slew muggles in a street.

He was framed.

He was betrayed by someone he thought he could trust.

But Peter Pettigrew was dead now. As were James and Lily. Little Harry was orphaned and left in the care of his muggle relatives. And he was stuck in a jail—unanimously proclaimed guilty and locked away for life to rot in a prison cell.

The days passed slowly. Soon he hardly knew when a day passed or when it was night. Soon he hardly recognized the passage of time, only the passage of Dementors as they floated by his cell, sucking his sanity and his happiness away.

All around them, prisoners died. Some went insane. Some stopped eating and starved to death. And when they died, they were buried in the graveyard and became just one of many souls unmourned.

One by one, his good memories slipped away. Anything that ever gave him just the tiniest sliver of happiness were pulled away from him and sucked into the dark, depressing vortexes that were the Dementors.

One face plagued him as time worn on.

One face plagued his dreams.

He was beginning to forget the feeling of her in his arms. He was beginning to forget what her smile looked like. He scrambled to remember but the more he tried to remember, the more he forgot her.

Sirius was afraid he would forget everything except her expressions whenever they fought. That was not the only thing he wanted to recall of her.

He had no willpower to talk to those surrounding him. _They_ were criminals; _they _were deranged souls who deserved to be here. Some of them spoke in their sleep—crazy, deranged mumblings of depraved minds. He did not want to be reduced to that.

The woman in the cell across from him had murdered her two children. Every day, she'd pace around her cell and scold the empty air as if her children were there. Sometimes, she sang lullabies to put her imaginary children to sleep.

The woman in the cell to his right did nothing all day. She made no noise and hardly even moved. Every other prisoner shivered or at least _acknowledged_ the passing of the Dementors in some way whenever they floated past, but not her.

She was tiny and very thin. The bones and veins in her hand popped against her pale skin. The woman seemed so fragile.

All day, she sat on her cot and stared off into space; her long hair covered her face. She only moved to eat her food at mealtime, to reposition herself as she sat all day, and to sleep.

Their cots were next to each other; the only thing separating them were the bars of their cells. She always lay on her side, facing away from him. He'd never seen her face seen he arrived.

The man in the cell to his left usually spent some of his day yelling at the woman on Sirius' right. He kept trying to get her to speak, kept trying to learn her crime. When the woman did not answer after a while, he always gave up. The man, who Sirius learned had murdered his entire family after he was convinced they cheated at chess, took to muttering pub songs and sea shanties under his breath afterward.

Sirius had no wish to talk to any of his surrounding neighbors.

Until he saw her face.

* * *

It was a simple matter of the woman brushing the hair back from her face. That singular motion caught his eye and dragged his attention to her.

He recognized her instantly and damn near flew across the cell to grip the bars tightly as he peered into her cell.

"Adelia?" he whispered, hardly able to believe he hadn't lost his mind.

The woman did not move at the sound of his voice.

"Adelia?" Her lack of response did not cause his hope to falter; he had not felt such an emotion in the longest of times. Hope had sprung in his chest and he would not let it die. "Adelia Snape?"

Her head moved a fraction of an inch.

"H-haven't heard that…in a while." she murmured. Her voice was gravely, probably from disuse.

"Adelia." he whispered her name like it is a secret only he knew. He had not seen her in years. Her eyes slid over to look at him.

"Do you remember me?" he whispered.

"Sirius Black." she coughed out and his heart soared. She remembered him. "Mass murderer of muggles."

"No!" he yelled and she flinched at the volume. Dropping his voice, he continued, "That's not…you remember me, right?" she made no moment, no flash of recognition and the hope that had flared in his chest began to quiver and fade. His hope was dying. "Adelia," he said in a stronger voice, "Look at me," he commanded, reaching in between the bars to extend his hand to her. "You remember me, right?"

She did not even look at his hand before turning away and lying down on her side to go to sleep. He watched her for a moment before sighing and retracting his hand.

He would have to try again tomorrow. Meanwhile, he could not prevent himself from glancing over at her every other moment. She was so close; the only thing that kept him away were the bars.

* * *

"Do you remember me, Adelia?" he asked as she stirred awake.

"Mass murderer." she said with a shrug.

"No!" he was getting frustrated—it had been days, or at least he thought it had been days— and she did not remember him still. "_Adelia _come on."

She did not remember him, was he really that forgettable?

"I nearly killed you in your first year. I put spiders in your bag. I turned you green. I humiliated your brother. I nearly _killed_ your brother! Do you not even remember the bad things?" Adelia turned slowly to look at him, but it was a vacant stare that swept across his features.

"Do you remember…do you remember when you got that letter, about your mum? And we went to the kitchen for hot chocolate? _I kissed you_. Do you remember that?" But she just kept staring at him.

"You used to come to my home for dinner and my mum was a right bitch to you and could never remember your name, Adelia. And you saw her slap me and I saw your bruises. And…and you slept with my brother. Adelia, you have to remember me." he whispered through the bars.

"That's…that's not…"

"That's not what, Adelia?" he said, his heart racing

"Don't call me that." she hissed at him; her eyes flashed once, like a sparkler, before fading. "I don't have a name, not in here. You lose that. You become just another face behind the bars."

"Adelia." he persisted, feeling that if he lost this argument, he would lose her.

"Stop."

"_Adelia_."

"Shut up!" she demanded, recovering her ears with her hands.

"Adelia, come on. _Remember me_." he pleaded.

"I don't want to." she hissed.

"Why?" he demanded. "I meant something once! You still mean something to me!" he confessed softly. "Adelia—"

She whipped her head over to glare at him as she seethed, "I blamed you. I thought I could count you and I thought you let me down…that you failed me by being everything Sev—Severus said you were."

"Adelia—"

"But I failed me…I let myself do this." she whispered.

"It's not your fault."

"I killed him. I let that anger take over."

"No…no. I— You're not a murderer. Do they even know?"

"Know what?"

"Know about what he did to you—"

"No. I killed my father, Sirius. I took his life. I could do it again. You were right…I belong in Slytherin…this has always been inside of me…"

"No! I was wrong! I was wrong about everything. I was wrong about you. You…I never should have let you go."

"It's too late for that."

"No, its not!"

"Yes—"

"No. I'm…I'm getting out of here. And I'm taking me with you."

"You'll die escaping."

"It's either die trying to get out or waste away in here. I'm not letting that happen to me and I'm not letting it happen to you."

"It's too late for that!" she hissed. I've already been in here too long—"

"No—"

"I didn't have anything to hold onto, okay? They took everything. They— It's already too late."

"Stop saying that!"

"I'm going to die in here. And I need it to end soon. I don't care if they suck out my soul or if I starve, I can't take his voice anymore."

"Whose voice? What are you talking about?"

"My dad's."

"Stop. Don't listen to him." he whispered. "Ignore him. He's wrong."

She just shook her head. "I know he's not. He's right."

"Adelia—"

"Get out of here as soon as you can," she whispered, turning toward him and wrapping her hands on the bars that separated them. "Before you're too far gone."

"You aren't yet, I know it."

She just shook her head. "Life sentences here are pointless. Most don't last more than a few years. You get trapped inside your mind here. All of your demons and monsters attack you and you can't…you can't get away, Sirius." his chest tightened as the syllables of his name slipped between her lips. "This place destroys your soul. It disintegrates. It floats away. Becomes nothing. And then you fade into the background, becoming nothing yourself."

"Not you. Just hold on. I'll get us out of here." he swore. "I'll help you like I should have before."

Adelia just shook her head. "It's too late." she whispered as she lay down on her back to sleep. He mimicked her position in silence, staring up at the ceiling before he stuck his hand in between the bars.

His hand lay next to her, the spaces in between his fingers empty for what seemed like an eternity before her cold grasp clasped his hand back.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into the darkness amid the mumbles and mutters of their fellow criminals. "I never should have let you go."

He could hear her shallow breathing. "I'm sorry I slept with your brother." came her reply.

The defeat in her voice scared him; scared him so much that he wanted to cry. "It doesn't matter anymore." he murmured. He fought himself for a moment, unsure of whether or not he should admit it.

"I am in love with you." he swore. "Since the first time I saw you. Always will be." he promised.

Adelia Snape was silent for a moment; her silence chilled him to the bone. Her grasp was tight on his hand.

"You could not have saved me. You couldn't have saved me from him or from this—" she stopped talking abruptly; he worried that was all she had to say.

"Sirius?" his name leaving her lips caused shivers up and down his spine.

"Yes, Adelia?" he whispered, heart thumping with hope that he was afraid she would kill.

"I'm in love with you too." He heard her let out a shaky breath and he knew she was crying.

What scared him most that night was not the Dementors passing by nor was it the chill in the air or the ravings of those who surrounded them. What scared him most was how he felt as though she was saying goodbye.

* * *

He awoke cold and shivering; most importantly, she was no longer holding his hand. Glancing over, he moved with a start. A Dementor had her trapped in the far corner of her cell.

"Adelia!" he yelled, slamming his hands against the bars, trying to stop the creature's path as it moved closer and closer to her. "Get away from her!" he yelled.

But it was no use. Adelia looked at him out of the corner of her eye and he knew she was trying to tell him it was alright.

"Stop!" he called out, desperate to save her as he never had been able to before.

The Dementor bent over her and clamped its over hers. Sirius found he could not look away as the monster sucked away her shell. And when it was done, he could do nothing expect stare at her limb body as it lay on the cold ground.

She was not dead. Adelia Snape was, rather, a shell of her former self; she was a living vegetable—although she was hardly living.

He could say nothing as the Dementor glided out of her cell; workers came and carried her away. Within days someone new in her cell.

Anyone who was awake, and sane enough to understand what had happened, swore that she was trying escape. That she tried to escape and got caught. They said it happened all the time. Prisoners just go insane, lose their minds, and try to escape. They always got caught.

But he knew better. She was not escaping. She was giving up. Adelia Snape could not take her father's voice in her mind. She could not take it any longer. It drove her insane and she thought death was better.

Sirius Black had nothing to do except sit in his cell and mourn the loss of the girl he loved. Nothing to do except remember her face, the way she lay lifeless on the ground, the way her hand held his hand, the way she said his name and that she loved him, and the way she said goodbye.

The End.


End file.
